Rotor brake and spinner lever



Feil o 8, 1949. c. MODERMOTT 2,460,839

ROTOR BRAKE AND SPINNER LEVE H Filed Oct. :5, 19 14 INVENTOR. QARL M DERMQTT ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 8', 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROTOR. BRAKE AND SPINNER LEVER Carl McDermott, Freehold, N. .1. Application October 3 1944, Serial No. 557,044

(Cl. I'll- 76) 3 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in switches.

In small generators, which are not self-starting and especially where the propelling energy is limited, some starting means is necessary to overcome the starting inertia. This is particularly true where a residual flux must be broken to start the generator.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a means of-starting small generators and the like.

It is another object to provide such a starting means which will also act as a brake when the generator is not in operation.

It is another object to provide such a means which may act as an on-off" switch for an electrical generator or the like.

It is still another object to provide such a means which is compact and is simple and sure in operation and is inexpensive to manufacture.

Still other objects and uses willbecome clear from the following specification and claims and the appended drawings.

To illustrate the present invention, there will be described a switch for a spring rotated, selfgenerating flashlight. Said switch, in general, includes a lever pivoted at a central point thereof which, if swung in one direction, is urged into frictional engagement with the generator shaft and acts as a brake, but which, if swung in the opposite direction, gives the generator shaft an initial spin and then loses engagement with it so as to allow it to rotate freely.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross sectional view of a self-generating cylindrical flashlight, wherein a switch, embodying the present invention, is also shown in cross section, the

between its "on and o positions;

Figure ,2 is a view, along the line 2-2 of Figure 1', the lever being shown at its oil position in solid lines and at its fon" position in broken lines and the pivot pin and the spring pins being shown in section for clarity;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a modifled vform of switch embodying the present invention, and;

Figure 4 is a view, along the line 4-4 of Figure 3, the lever being shown at its "on position in solid lines and at its "01!" position in broken lines.

- lever being shown in its vertical position, midway Referring to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, a plate ii is secured transversely within a cylindrical flashlight case 13. A generator shaft I5,.concentrically disposed within said ease I 3,

' extends through an aperture l1 at the center of said plate I I and is provided with a friction wheel is rigidly secured thereto, as by a key (not shown). Secured normal to said plate H is a pivot pin 23 which extends through a pivot hole 25 in a switch lever 21. The said pivot hole 25 is elongated so as to allow the lever 21 a limited lengthwise movement, in addition to its pivotal movement about said pin 23. One of the lower corners of the lever 21 is cut away to form a chamfer 20.

The lower friction surface of the lever 21 may be fitted with a friction pad (not shown). The upper end of the lever 21 has a longitudinally disposed, threaded bore 3| into which is threadably fastened a screw 33. The head of said screw 33 is in the form of a knurled switch button 35. The screw 33 extends through an elongated slot 2| in the cylindrical case i3, the switch button 35 being positioned outside said case. The slot 2| is of a length to allow the lever 21 to pivot a predetermined distance as will be more clearly explained hereinafter. The lever 21 is provided with a notch 39 across its upper surface to slidably accommodate a spring ll consisting of a length of piano wire. The ends of said sprin 4| are bent under two spring pins 43 which are secured perpendicularly to the plate ll aforementioned.

In operation of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2, the parts are normally in their 0 positions, as shown in solid lines in Figure'2. When so disposed, the spring 4| urges the lever 21 downwardly longitudinally so that the friction surface 30 is in frictional engagement with the friction wheel 19, thereby acting as a brake to prevent the said frictionwheel, the generator shaft l5 and the generator (not shown) from rotating. The flashlight is then inoperative, or off.

In order to switch ,to the on" position, the switch button 35 is flipped to the left (as indicated by the arrow in Figure 2), to pivot the lever 21 about the pivot pin, whereupon the friction surface 30 causes the friction wheel is and the generator shaft I! to spin in a clockwise direction (as indicated by the arrow in Figure 2). As the lever 21 is pivoted, it is urged downwardly by the spring 41 until the upper end of the pivot hole :25 hits the pivot pin 23, whereupon the friction surface 30 loses engagement with the friction wheel is and the generator shaft I5 is free to rotate.

assaaso To again switch to position, the switch The modified switch, shown in Figures 3 and 4, is similar to the device in Figures 1 and 2, and similar parts bear similar numbers, except for the spring means, a coil spring 41 being substituted for the spring I. In said modified switch the lever 21 is provided with a bore 4! which extends from the top of said lever almost, but not quite, to the bottom of said lever, and which crosses the pivot hole 25. The said bore ll is threaded only through its upper portion to receive the screw :3. Within the said bore 48 and below the pivot pin 23 is a small coil spring 41, the upper end of which abuts the pivot pin 23. The operation of the modified device of Figures 3 and 4 is the same as that of the device of Figures 1 and 2, except that the coil spring 4'! takes the place of the spring ll to urge the lever 2'] downwardly longitudinally so as to eflect a good frictional engagement between the friction surface it and the friction wheel is. The parts are shown in their. "on" positions in solid lines. To switchvto the oil'" position, the switch button 35 wouldbe flipped to the right (as indicated by the arrow in Figure 4) whereupon the parts would be in the positions shown in broken lines.

It will be understood that modificationsmay be made within the spirit of the present invention,

and said invention is not limited to the embodi= merits shown in the drawings and described hsrein.

I claim: 1. An on-of!" control for a flashlight having a cylindrical case and a rotatable cylindrical a anaperture through said case, a controllever extending through said aperture: a controi button attached to one end of the lever outside said case, a friction surface onthe other'end of'the lever inside said case, a transverse pivot hole in said lever, said pivot hole having a greater diameter longitudinally of the lever and a lesser diam- 5 eter athwart of .the lever, said pivot pin being positioned in .said pivot hole so that said lever may pivot about said pivot pin and may move longitudinally a limited distance, spring means to urge the lever longitudinally toward the gentionally engageable with the generator member duringpart of its pivotal movement, stop means to limit the pivotal motion oi said lever in one direction so that the friction surface is in friction'al engagement with the'generator member at the end of its pivotal movement in that direction, second stop means tolimit the pivotal motion of said lever in the opposite direction so that the friction surface loses frictional engagement with the generator member at the end of its pivotal movement in that direction.

2. An "on-oil? control as defined in claim 1, wherein the spring means is a length of spring wire.

3. An on-ofl" control as defined in claim 1, wherein a longitudinally disposed bore extends part-way through said lever and interconnects with the pivot hole aforesaid, and the spring means is a coil spring disposed in said bore and is under compression between the pivot pin and one end of said bore.

CARL McDmMO'IT.

lameness mm 35 The following references are oi record in the tile 0! this patent:

UNITED STATE PATENTS Number Name Date 63,845 Bourne Apr. 16, 1867 FOREIGN PATEWEE I Number, Country Date 372,748 Great Britain May'4, .1932 s 597,637 France Sept. 5, 1925 erator member, said friction surface being fric- 

